Maybe I'm not reading the rendering right, but are they actually going to facadectomize/rape the only interesting heritage building on that block, and leave at least one of the nasty vinyl-canopied neighbours intact?

T&H will facadize the Trapp and neighbouring Holburn blocks and tear down the newer ugly canopied thing on the non-holburn side of the Trapp block and put in something new. The neighbouring buildings are not part of T&H, but I've noted that a lot of them are boarded up and recently vacant on the front street side. I'm hoping that Salient or another developer owns some or all of these buildings between the Trapp and Begbie street (Salient seems pretty upbeat on dt new west... so my fingers are crossed).

As for tearing down the heritage buildings: apparently an engineering assessment shows that they are not structurally sound enough to simply retrofit (especially the Trapp block) . Which isn't surprising, given that the structural concrete as viewed from the front street side dips about a foot from wall to centre of the floor...I'll snap some pics next time I walk my dog that way.

Someone should make a thread for this building: it will be a huge for Columbia street.

Would love to see this go through with the original facade restored. Wow that is sooo cool. Hopefully one or two more heritage restoration/revitalizations go through on this stretch of Columbia... if that happens it'll really start to come into its own, especially with the new office building creating day-time pedestrian traffic.

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^^Yes, just like there's probably a good reason behind lots of horrendous eyesores in the city. Still looks stupid. One would have guessed that the red canopies would go together if ever redeveloped, that's all.

I hope they do something interesting on the Front Street side, since with the development on the waterfront and the parkade coming down that facade is going to open on a future streetscape as well. The InterUrban building looks great from Columbia street but the giant blank beige wall around the parkade in the rear is a complete disaster. It's a very large and visible eyesore when looking from the waterfront. I hope they do better here.

Hopefully there's a master plan that will take into account the Larco plan and doesn't hamper the ability to build a seamless platform over Front Street across to a new waterfront promenade (i.e. retail facing Front could become subterranean).
I'm not sure where this site sits relative to the Larco property.

T&H would be behind the Larco project towards the somewhere around the westmost towers. I kind of wonder if this project will hamper redevelopment on that stretch of Columbia by blocking river views... the quay highrises put up a pretty substantial barrier between the rest of new westminster and the river.

Maybe shorter towers would have been better (say 9 storeys instead of 30ish)?

Thanks for the info.
On the render I can see a taller older building behind the second (from the left) Larco tower - that could be the Trapp building. They should be able to stagger the buildings to preserve some views.

Located in the heart of downtown New Westminster, Western Canada’s first city, the area is evolving into a modern waterfront community while still keeping its much loved historical appeal.

We feel that building in New Westminster makes a lot of sense. As we mentioned in a recent BuzzBuzzHome blog post, we see a lot of parallels between Gastown and New Westminster’s downtown core. Both areas are seeing growth, increased density, and the opening of hip new businesses and amenities.

Just like Gastown a few years ago, New Westminster is arguably one of the most overlooked areas in the lower mainland. It’s only natural for Salient Group to start building homes in this evolving city.

The historic Trapp Block was built in 1899. Formerly home to Army and Navy, the site has sat empty since 1977. Facing Columbia Street and backing onto Front Street, Trapp Block is part of the historical Golden Mile, once a prosperous neighbourhood in New Westminster and once again, its charm is drawing us back!

What you can expect from Trapp + Holbrook is a marriage of the old and the new: 196 homes ranging from 500 to 1261 square feet, 20 storeys in height with panoramic views of the Fraser River. You will also find excellent value with homes starting at $219,900 and 100 homes priced under $299,000.

Trapp + Holbrook reinforces our commitment to the restoration of vibrant, walkable communities where residents will be steps from Skytrain access. We feel that its classic historic style combined with modern amenities will continue to help launch New Westminster’s cultural revival.

We are excited about this project, and we can’t wait to tell you more about it! Please follow the Salient Group on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for the latest updates. Previews begin on April 28th.